The Logitech Harmony 300 remote promises to clear up your living room, with the ability to control 225000 unique devices from 5000 different brands. While it is unlikely that even the geekiest gadget lovers among you will have anywhere near this many tools in your arsenal, it does say something about the scope of the Harmony 300 remote.
Exactly how the Logitech Harmony 300 manages to achieve this feat is really quite simple – as it uses online software with a complete set of instructions for all of its supported devices. After installing the included software, all you need to do is list the devices you will be using, and let the software department take care of the rest.
This is a clever piece of technology, and certainly a cut above most ‘universal’ remote solutions that do nothing more than use guess work in their attempt to control unknown devices. The Harmony 300 also has a nice design, which is ergonomic and weighs only 12.8 ounces. The size is similar to most medium to large TV remotes, measuring 5.3″ x 9.2″ x 1.6″.
The interface on the Logitech Harmony 300 is clear and seems well thought out, with unique buttons for TV and satellite/cable, shortcut buttons for your favourite channels, and a systematic approach to function buttons in specially organised zones.
While the Harmony 300 is a very powerful device it is important to realise that it does require setup via software and Internet access, some of which may be technically challenging for some users. Although the Harmony 300 is sold as an ‘advanced’ remote and not a ‘learning’ remote – it is likely you will have to do at least a little programming to get it working with all your devices in exactly the way that you want.
The Logitech Harmony 300 works with both Windows and Intel-based Mac systems – although again – without a computer and Internet access this is nothing more than an expensive paper weight. The Harmony 300 comes with its own USB cable, 2 AA batteries, and a price tag of $49.99.
